MAMA Awards to return to Osaka in NovemberThe MAMA Awards, one of Asia's biggest K-pop awards shows, will be held at Osaka's Kyocera Dome in November, organizer CJ ENM said Tuesday. The 2026 edition is scheduled for Nov. 20 and 21, marking the third time the awards will take place at the venue after 2022 and 2024. Launched in 1999 as Mnet Video Music Awards, the annual event has grown into a major showcase for Korea's music industry and global K-pop fandom. This year's edition will feature a range of events combining both online and offline experiences to engage fans around the world, CJ ENM said in a release. "We are accelerating preparations to create another turning point for the awards," the company said, adding it would "offer an unprecedented experience through the expertise built over the past 27 years."Mar 31, 2026By Yonhap
BTS says Billboard No. 1 'great honor,' hopes music offered 'courage and comfort'K-pop supergroup BTS said Tuesday it was deeply honored to top the U.S. Billboard charts with its new album, "Arirang," adding it hoped the album and its lead track, "Swim," provided listeners around the world with "courage and comfort." Billboard said in a preview of this week's Hot 100 main singles chart that "Swim" became the band's seventh No. 1 song on the chart, following the album's debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The dual triumph marks BTS' first simultaneous No. 1s on both charts in six years since "Be" in 2020. In a statement released through its agency, BigHit Music, the septet said the success of its fifth studio album, unveiled after a hiatus of three years and nine months, was "a great honor" that it owed to its fans. "We deeply thank ARMY, who have always shown us unwavering love and support, as well as everyone who listened to our music and shared their hearts with us," the group said, referring to the name of its global fandom. The group added it had worked hard to capture "universal emotions" that many could relate to while preparing the new album. DescribingMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
BTS earns 7th No. 1 song on the Billboard singles chart with 'Swim'K-pop supergroup BTS has secured its seventh No. 1 hit on the U.S. Billboard's main singles chart, debuting atop the chart with its latest single, "Swim." The upbeat alternative pop track, which leads the band's fifth studio album, "Arirang," topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of April 4. It outpaced Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" to claim the highest ranking, according to a Billboard preview released Monday (U.S. time). The milestone adds "Swim" to the act's impressive roster of Billboard triumphs, following "Dynamite," "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)" (BTS Remix), "Life Goes On," "Butter," "Permission to Dance" and "My Universe." The song's success mirrors the commercial dominance of "Arirang." Billboard announced Sunday that the release debuted atop the Billboard 200 albums chart, also granting the group its seventh No. 1 album. The momentum extended to Britain on Friday, with "Arirang" debuting at No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart Top 100 and "Swim" entering the Official Singles Chart Top 100 at No. 2. Later on Monday, Billboard announced that 13 of the new album's 14 tracMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
Netflix plays the K-pop card with BTS documentaryBTS wrapped up its live comeback declaration to the world on Netflix, but before the excitement had any real chance to fade, the platform followed up with a feature-length documentary centered on the group. “BTS: The RETURN” traces BTS’ comeback journey as the members reunite and make music together once again. Released last Friday, the documentary looks back on the group’s past and the way it rewrote pop history through unprecedented global popularity, before turning to the members as they prepare for a new chapter. For BTS fans, the emotions from watching the group’s globally broadcast comeback show still linger. The clearly deliberate timing, then, seems to suggest that extending that momentum was a key objective for Netflix. And after weighing how to make long-term use of BTS as a global entertainment property, Netflix appears to have chosen the feature-length documentary as a way to deepen the group’s narrative and further draw fans into its orbit. The depth and weight of Netflix’s documentaries have long been one of its biggest competitive strengths. Across crime, spoMar 30, 2026By Hankookilbo
Red Velvet’s Irene releases first full-length albumIrene of the girl group Red Velvet released her first full-length album, “Biggest Fan,” Monday. The 10-track album is set for release at 6 p.m. across major streaming platforms, alongside a music video for the title track on SM Entertainment’s official YouTube channel, SMTOWN. A special live broadcast marking the release is also being held on Irene’s YouTube channel and Red Velvet’s TikTok account, starting at 5 p.m. The album arrives roughly 16 months after Irene’s solo debut mini-album, “Like A Flower.” Irene said the album is about learning to believe in yourself. “I wanted to convey the message that your own biggest fan is yourself,” she said in a press release. “I felt that we become stronger when we trust and support ourselves — it's something I wanted to say to my fans and to myself.” She added she focused heavily on the album's overall narrative, ensuring the tracks form a cohesive sequence from start to finish. Among the 10 tracks, Irene singled out “Don’t Wanna Get Up” and “Million Miles Away” as personal favorites, describing them as pop songs wMar 30, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
From 25 fans to global stardom: BTS V recalls tiny first fan meetingBTS may now be one of the world’s biggest music acts, but member V recently looked back on a time when just a few dozen fans showed up to see them — and it meant everything. In a YouTube appearance on the channel “Fairy Jaehyung” uploaded on March 29, V reflected on the group’s early years before global fame, revealing that their first fan meeting drew only around 25 attendees. "About 25 to 30 people came to our first fan meeting, but it was more than the number of members, so we were happy," V said. "We were touched that people came all that way just to see us." BTS, which debuted in 2013 under BigHit Entertainment, is now widely considered a global K-pop powerhouse with a massive international fan base known as ARMY. But V’s comments highlighted the stark contrast between their humble beginnings and current status. Host Jung Jae-hyung pointed out that it took several years for BTS to gain momentum, noting that the group’s breakthrough did not come immediately after debut. He referenced their 2016 hit “Fire,” which marked a turning point in their popularity. "After ‘FMar 30, 2026By Xportsnews
InterviewHow DAY6 Wonpil's inner struggles shaped 'Unpiltered'On a quiet Tuesday morning in a cafe tucked inside Seoul's Gangnam district, Wonpil sits in a camel-colored jacket, his wide, expressive eyes flickering between excitement and visible nerves. Known to fans as the spirited keyboardist and vocalist of K-pop band DAY6, the 31-year-old singer is preparing to introduce a more vulnerable side of himself through his upcoming solo mini-album, "Unpiltered," set for release Monday. "It still feels surreal," Wonpil told The Korea Times with a soft laugh. "Even doing this interview feels unbelievable. Preparing this album made me realize once again that music can never be created by one person alone." The new project comes a whopping four years after his first solo release, "Pilmography" in February 2022. The seven-track release features the emotionally charged lead single "Highs and Lows," alongside songs like "Toxic Love," "Up All Night" and "Step by Step." While DAY6 has long been associated with youthful K-band anthems and uplifting pop-rock, Wonpil says he reached a turning point around the band's 10th anniversary. "I kept thinking about the imaMar 30, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS scores 7th No. 1 album on Billboard 200 with 'ARIRANG'K-pop giant BTS has claimed its seventh No. 1 debut on the U.S, Billboard's main albums chart with its new album, "ARIRANG." "ARIRANG," the band's first group project in three years and nine months, debuted atop the Billboard 200 for the week of April 4, Billboard said in a chart preview released Sunday (U.S. time). It marks BTS' seventh No. 1 debut on the chart, following "Love Yourself: Tear," "Love Yourself: Answer," "Map of the Soul: Persona," "Map of the Soul: 7," "Be" and the anthology album "Proof." The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States, measured by equivalent album units, comprising physical album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). "ARIRANG" opens with 641,000 equivalent album units earned — the largest week for an album by a group since the chart began measuring by units in December 2014, according to Billboard. Of that sum, 532,000 came from physical and digital album sales, landing it the biggest sales week for an album by a group in more than a decade. SEA units comprise 95,000, BTS' biggestMar 30, 2026By Yonhap
BTS world tour to hold shows in 5 Latin American countries in OctoberK-pop superstar BTS will perform in five countries in Latin America in October, including Colombia and Peru, as part of its "Arirang" world tour, the group's agency said Saturday. The septet will stage a total of 11 performances in five major cities in Latin America, starting in Bogota, Colombia, Oct. 2 and 3, according to BigHit Music. The group will perform in Lima, Peru, Oct. 9 and 10, followed by concerts in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 16 and 17, and in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 23 and 24. The final leg of the tour will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 28, 30 and 31. BTS will hold its full-group concerts for the first time in Colombia, Peru and Argentina. In 2022, Jin participated in the British rock band Coldplay's world tour concerts in Buenos Aires as a guest. To mark the release of the group's fifth studio album, "ARIRANG," BTS held its first full-group concert at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul last Saturday, after all of its members completed their military service. The "BTS World Tour Arirang" will begin in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, April 11 and continue in major ciMar 28, 2026By Yonhap
BTS’ Jimin goes viral for 59.7kg reveal — then steals the show in chaotic dance clipJimin of global K-pop sensation BTS is once again trending online — this time for an unexpected mix of discipline and chaos. Within days, the singer drew attention for revealing his weight at 59.7 kilograms and appearing in a comedic YouTube dance video that quickly spread across social media, highlighting both his intense self-management and playful on-screen presence. The viral clip, uploaded March 24 on the YouTube channel “Hot Issue Ji,” features Jimin acting as a ballroom dance instructor alongside comedian Lee Soo-ji. What begins as a standard lesson soon spirals into slapstick chaos. As Jimin calmly demonstrates basic steps, Lee suddenly lifts him in a dramatic “princess carry,” catching him off guard. Jimin goes along with the moment, but when he later attempts the move himself, the noticeable size difference leads others on set to intervene. “Don’t do it,” cast members can be heard saying, laughing, while warning, “You’ll hurt your back.” The situation escalates as Lee repeatedly loses balance during bold dance attempts, ending up leaning on Jimin — turninMar 28, 2026By Xportsnews
